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Angry farmers want action on fire management

DECEMBER 6, 2018: FARMERS and others impacted by Queensland’s bushfires are angry about the State Labor Government’s restrictions on land clearing and back-burning, and the impact this has had on the rapid spread of fires.

I have been bombarded with calls from farmers who are demanding change.

We’ve been through a devastating time in Central and North Queensland due to the impact of these bushfires, but the message I have from frustrated landholders is that much could and should have been done to prevent this.

Farmers are frustrated by Queensland Labor’s vegetation management laws and the restrictions on creating fire breaks.

They’re frustrated by the restrictions around back-burning on their own land.

And they’re angry about the mismanagement of national park and state forest land where there’s been no visible signs of fire breaks and back-burning or any other sort of fire control for many years.

In fact, it’s been reported to me that the fire which affected thousands of hectares of grazing land around Bloomsbury started in the Cathu State Forest.

A fire in the forest was reported back in August but nothing was done about it.

Landholders predicted that this fire would roll down the side of the mountain and spread rapidly, and that is exactly what happened.

I am joining with other Queensland MPs and Senators today in the call for a judicial inquiry into the fires which caused so much devastation.

The Queensland Labor Government’s extreme green-inspired land clearing laws are denying farmers the right to manage their land as they know best.

Labor and the extreme greens, along with bureaucrats should not be dictating terms and conditions on vegetation management for local farmers because honestly it’s just too bloody dangerous.